The influence of resistance training on inflammatory markers, body composition and functional capacity in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Older adults experience chronic inflammation, which is associated with health conditions such as sarcopenia, and resulting in reduced functional capacity. Resistance training (RT) is a beneficial intervention for improving health in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the effect of RT on inflammatory biomarkers, body composition, and functional capacity in healthy adults aged 60 years and over. Additionally, this study conducted a meta-regression to investigate the moderating effect of exercise variables on inflammatory markers.

METHOD

Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched systematically until December 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the impact of RT on C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), body weight, BMI, fat percentage, fat mass, lean mass, leg extension strength and six-minute walk test (6-MWT) were included. Effect size was estimated by using the mean difference (MD) with 95 % confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Nineteen RTCs involving 728 participants were included. The results revealed that CRP levels significantly decreased following RT programs (MD:0.74, p= 0.008), while TNF-α (MD: 0.1, p= 0.95) and IL-6 (MD:0.27, p= 0.12) did not show significant changes. Additionally, RT enhanced leg extension strength and 6-MWT performance.

CONCLUSION

RT effectively reduces CRP concentrations and enhances functional capacity in healthy older adults. However, it does not have a significant impact on TNF-α and IL-6 levels. Future researches are needed to make a clear conclusion and understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of RT in healthy older adults.

REGISTRATION

The original protocol was registered (CRD42023487573) in PROSPERO database.